Jill Langhus-Griffin

I attribute my success to the women around me, the mentors that I've had, and our COO who is a trailblazing survivor leader. They're amazing women with tremendous missions and resilience. They're what keep me going. The why is them. I want to make their lives better, and I want to prevent this atrocity from happening anymore, which is huge. It's too huge for me, but collaboratively, we can do it. These survivor leaders are fellow empaths with deep purpose, and they're here; they signed up for this for a reason. So many of them had to deal with trafficking before it was even really known, and they had to do it by themselves. I don't know how they're even surviving because of the health challenges they have, what they have to endure, and what they went through, oftentimes alone. It's inspiring, but it's also very daunting and overwhelming when I hear their stories. A lot of them never really heal from it, and a lot of them do come from childhood trauma where you're groomed for dysfunctional relationships, and then quite often groomed again into trafficking. I'm really passionate about addressing these harmful, patriarchal patterns, how we can prevent them, and how we can really give the survivors deep resources to heal, grow, and thrive.

The best career advice I ever received came when I worked for Hay House, the publisher, in Carlsbad in my mid-30s. It was to be authentic and recognize that I chose the people and experiences for a reason. I needed them to find and live my purpose. By having a traumatic and abusive background I can empathize, relate, and support trafficking survivors that have their own personal abuse and trauma beliefs, experiences, and stories. This understanding that everything happens for a reason and that my difficult experiences gave me the ability to connect with and support survivors has been the most important influence in my career.

I would tell young women to embrace authenticity and trust that their voice matters. Your experiences, especially the challenging ones, can become a source of strength and purpose. Don’t be afraid to step into spaces that feel uncomfortable, and always stay open to growth, mentorship, and collaboration. The impact you want to make will grow when you align your work with compassion, authenticity, integrity, and truth.

One of the biggest challenges in my field is the ongoing and increasing global issue of human trafficking, along with the lack of sufficient long-term support systems for survivors. At the same time, there is a powerful opportunity to expand prevention efforts, strengthen survivor-led initiatives, and develop more accessible healing and empowerment programs. Sustainable funding and global collaboration are key areas for growth.

The values most important to me are peace, honesty, authenticity, integrity, and compassion in order to make the most impact/difference, uplifting others while doing it. I believe strongly in mentoring others, particularly girls, women, and survivors. I really love uplifting other people. It lights me up, and I feel like I'm making a difference when I do it. I'm passionate about being seen and heard because I was invisible myself for a very long time. I believe we're stronger together, so I am heavily involved in supporting our partner's efforts, especially the survivor leaders, since they've already been through so much. I'm all about how much impact I can make. For my personal life, I really would like to do more creative endeavors, whether it's painting, drawing, or creating sticker fashion outfits. I also enjoy walking and being inspired and connected by nature.